Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Seventy-One

♕Falling ♕

Aubrette could still hear the echo of shouts of excitement in her ears, even if the one thing that remained was petrifying silence. She could not part her eyes away form them as the shape of their bodies became clearer and clearer.

Out of instinct, Aubrette let her blessing wrap around the two of them in a shield, she looked back, already knowing Dorian would be running towards her, and finding both him and Nevaeh waiting by her side, closer than she'd expected, staring at both Morte and Belial as they walked closer and closer to the void, their eyes darker than any other pair of eyes she'd ever seen.

Shadows still poured in from the portal, flying up onto the sky and forcing the light out of it. She could almost feel her claws on her skin, their eyes watching her and glimmering in greeting. Behind them, she could see people sitting down, some knelt with their heads against the floor, trying to protect themselves from the shadows that flew closer to them than they did her as they spread through the sky. Starhaven came into her mind, the choosing, the destruction that had been left behind, she would not make the same mistakes twice.

"The crowd" she said turning to Dorian, whose eyes were on Asher standing silently beside her. "Dorian" she said, making him look at her. "The crowd"

Dorian blinked before nodding, as if he'd been far too deep into his mind to listen to her. "Phoebe and Heaven are starting to evacuate them. Bren had already made some temporary portals on both sides" he whispered. "We prepared for this. It'll be okay" he added, but his voice did not sound convinced or secure. It almost sounded like a prayer.

She looked back at them, both men stared at her, taunting her to come closer.

"No, we didn't" she said. Her eyes looking up at the shadows, who she had so long believed to be hers. "We did not prepare for that"

Before he could speak or try to say anything that would lead them to foolishly hope in a good outcome, she let her blessing wrap around them, brighter than ever before, a type of light she had never used, one she hadn't know existed. She tried to hold onto it strongly, as the four of them walked to meet them in the center of the pit. No one would touch them if she had any say in it.

"The shift is almost over" Neaveh spoke directly towards Belial who simply raised his eyebrows. "I know brimstone children aren't known for their punctuality but you truly couldn't have been more horrendously late"

"You saved us both a lot of time. Thank you" Morte spoke grinning. Aubrette almost looked away as she stared into the blood on his mouth.

"Rot in hell" Nev said. Taking a step further.

"Gladly" Morte whispered, winking at her. Aubrette felt her stomach turn.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you this instant." Dorian said, anger clear and present in his voice. Yet not half as resentful as Aubrette felt herself become.

"No" Aubrette said, surprising even herself. "Why shouldn't I?" Morte's laugh sounded like an old symphony. One full of curses and off notes.

"Oh please. Why-ever should we care about your threats child?" Belial said.

Dorian took a deep breath before speaking, she could not see him but he could feel the coldness of his blessing spreading around him and reaching her skin, he'd tried to keep as much of it, had known they would need it. "You're not welcomed nor free. Belial has yet to win the title, and seeing as he did not bother to show up its safe to assume he doesn't care that much. So I'd care. I'd care very much. "

Morte reached his hands out to her, stoping midair before he could touch her light, still held around the four of them.

"My dear old friend" he whispered , almost daring to touch Aubrette's light. Disregarding any of Dorian's words. "This is how you treat me?"